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Connecting Using the SQL Server Browser Service

The SQL Server Browser service listens for incoming requests for SQL Server resources and provides information about SQL Server instances installed on the computer. When the SQL Server Browser service is running, users can connect to named instances by providing the computer name and instance name, instead of the computer name and port number. Because SQL Server Browser receives unauthenticated UDP requests, it is not always turned on during setup. For a description of the service and an explanation of when it is turned on, see SQL Server Browser Service.

To use the SQL Server Browser, you must follow the same steps as the previous task in this lesson, and open UDP port 1434.

This concludes this brief tutorial on basic connectivity. For more information about configuring server and client connectivity, see Database Engine Connectivity How-to Topics.